As Mountainview plans to launch a campus this fall in Westwood, an economically depressed, racially diverse, part of Denver --I thought the following article from Artie Davis to be insightful. ---------- multi-ethnic church doesn’t just happen. You have to be intentional in your ministry approach. If you are not intentional, you probably will never have a true multi-ethnic church. Here are a few things to keep in mind: It must be a core value – Put it down on paper that your church values being multi-ethnic. If it’s important enough to think, it’s important enough to write down and become a guiding principle. It will not occur organically – It is human nature to migrate to people like ourselves… people that have fun like us, look like us, and dress like us. We must find ways to break that tendency. You must be balanced in all areas of ministry –…
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A few days ago I read an excellent article by Mark Batterson offering tips for high capacity leaders. Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church, a thriving multisite church in the Washington D.C. area. Over the years, I have apprenticed myself to him via his books and blog. This article is a great example of why. Here are a few of my take-aways. Your destiny isn’t a mystery. Your destiny is the cumulative decisions you make. Negativity is a cancer. No margin = no vision. If you listen to God, people will listen to you. If your life is interesting, your messages will be interesting (what does that say about boring preaching!). Don't try to be who you are not.
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"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." -- Edward R. Murrow, journalist
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Inevitably, once you've clarified your values and beliefs, you'll notice something: my behavior doesn't always match my beliefs. For example, I might say I value family but if my schedule shows I'm hardly ever home, there is a gap between what I believe and how I behave. In order to live authentically, something must change -- either my beliefs or my behavior. If I'm unwilling to change my belief because I feel it is non-negotiable, then my behavior must change.
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How does a person live with authenticity? For starters, it begins with clarity in terms of what you believe. What are your values? Convictions? Non-negotiables? Authenticity means being true to the real you. Once you've clarified your beliefs and values, ask yourself this question: Does my behavior match my beliefs?
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